The First Amendment Quiz

Can you master this First Amendment quiz like a Founding Father, or will you need to plead the Fifth?

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Question 1 of 30

What are the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution called?

The Preamble

The Federalist Papers

The Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution are called the Bill of Rights.

Question 2 of 30

The First Amendment does not protect students while in school.

TRUE

FALSE

In 1969 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Tinker v. Des Moines Schools that the First Amendment applied to public schools, and school officials could not censor student speech unless it disrupted the educational process.

Question 3 of 30

At what age do the protections of the First Amendment begin?

Any age

While there are restrictions on students to limit disruption of learning, the First Amendment sets no age limit and applies to all Americans.

18

21

Question 4 of 30

What are the first few words of the First Amendment?

"A well regulated militia..."

"Congress shall make no law..."

The First Amendment begins, "Congress shall make no law…"

"No soldier shall..."

Question 5 of 30

Which document was the model for the Bill of Rights?

Declaration of Independence

"Two Treatises of Government"

Virginia Declaration of Rights

The Virginia Declaration of Rights was the model for the Bill of Rights. The Virginia Declaration of Rights was written by George Mason and adopted on June 12, 1776.

Question 6 of 30

Private schools that accept government funding are prohibited from censoring on-campus speech activities.

TRUE

FALSE

The First Amendment prohibits only government officials from censoring free speech. Officials at private schools are not considered government officials despite any receipt of government funding.

Question 7 of 30

Which Founding Father wrote the First Amendment?

Thomas Jefferson

Alexander Hamilton

James Madison

James Madison, who initially opposed the Bill of Rights, later authored the First Amendment while serving as a congressman of Virginia. Madison served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817.

Question 8 of 30

How many articles/amendments were in the Bill of Rights when it was originally proposed to the states for ratification?

8

10

12

On Sept. 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed 12 articles of amendment to the Constitution. The states ratified articles 3 through 12 and the Bill of Rights was created. Article 2 was eventually ratified in 1992 as the 27th Amendment and Article 1 has never been ratified.

Question 9 of 30

When was the Bill of Rights ratified?

1776

1791

The Bill of Rights was ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures on Dec. 15, 1791.

1800

Question 10 of 30

Students in public schools must recite the Pledge of Allegiance when asked to do so by school officials.

TRUE

FALSE

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the 1943 case West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette that students have the First Amendment right to refuse to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Question 11 of 30

Which religious belief is not protected by the First Amendment?

Atheism

Satanism

All religions are protected.

The free exercise clause of the First Amendment provides the right for American citizens to accept any religious beliefs they choose.

Question 12 of 30

Which entity does not fall under the jurisdiction of the First Amendment?

Private companies

The First Amendment applies to federal, state and local government, to protect individuals from government censorship. A private company is not connected to any government and is therefore not necessarily bound by the First Amendment.

Local government

State government

Question 13 of 30

Which type of speech is protected by the First Amendment?

Profanity

While profanity is generally protected by the First Amendment, it must not contain a true threat or fighting words. Furthermore, profanity in broadcast media is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission.

Obscenity

True threats

Question 14 of 30

Which statement regarding government officials and the First Amendment is not true?

restricted from interfering with religious beliefs of citizens

prohibited from creating official religion

allowed to preview controversial news stories before release

Courts generally consider prior review as a form of unconstitutional restraint. Under the First Amendment, news media are protected against prior review by government officials. Scholastic media, however, may be subject to prior review by school administrators.

Question 15 of 30

A journalist can be sent to jail for refusing to reveal a source.

TRUE

While the First Amendment does afford some protection for journalists, this protection is not absolute. A court can decide a journalist is not protected in some circumstances and order the journalist to reveal a source or face jail time.

FALSE

Question 16 of 30

How many copies of the Bill of Rights were commissioned by Congress?

12

13

14

In 1791 Congress commissioned 14 copies of the Bill of Rights, one for each of the 13 original states and one copy for the federal government.

Question 17 of 30

Which freedom is not guaranteed by the First Amendment?

Right to bear arms

The right to bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment, not the First Amendment. Freedom of religion and freedom of assembly are protected by the First Amendment.

Freedom of religion

Freedom of assembly

Question 18 of 30

Which group is not protected by the First Amendment right to peaceful assembly?

White supremacist group

Striking workers

Both are protected

Both groups are protected by the First Amendment right to peaceably assemble. The U.S. Supreme Court stated in the 1963 ruling of Edwards v. South Carolina that the government can not criminalize "the peaceful expression of unpopular views."

Question 19 of 30

Which situation is prohibited by the religion clause of the First Amendment?

a student quietly praying in school

a teacher leading her class in prayer

The First Amendment prohibits government officials from promoting a specific religion. A teacher is considered a government official and is prohibited from leading a prayer in class. A student is not prohibited from quietly praying on her or his own.

Both are prohibited.

Question 20 of 30

A journalist with press credentials can trespass on private property to cover a story under the First Amendment.

TRUE

FALSE

Trespassing is illegal whether covering a story or not. Under the First Amendment, press credentials afford journalists no special protections when it comes to trespass.

Question 21 of 30

Which type of speech is never protected by the First Amendment?

Lying

Copyright infringement

An individual does not have a First Amendment right to violate the copyright interests of another person. In some situations, the First Amendment does protect other types of speech, including lying.

Mocking an individual's sexual orientation

Question 22 of 30

Which of the following is not a freedom protected by the First Amendment?

Due process

The right of due process is covered by the Fifth Amendment. Many of the ideas in the Fifth Amendment can be traced back to the Magna Carta, which was issued in 1215.

Assembly

Religion

Question 23 of 30

Which type of speech is not protected by the First Amendment?

Criticism of a religion

Criticism of a gender

Defamation

Defamation is a false printed or verbal statement that harms the reputation of an individual. The First Amendment does not protect defamation.

Question 24 of 30

The First Amendment prohibits all teaching about religion in public schools.

TRUE

FALSE

The First Amendment does prohibit public school teachers from promoting or endorsing a specific religion. It does not prohibit teachers from discussing various religions in the context of course subject matter, such as covering Islam and Christianity while studying the Crusades.

Question 25 of 30

Does the First Amendment protect a student's speech on the Internet?

Yes, unconditionally

Yes, but not at school

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the 1997 case Reno v. ACLU that speech on the Internet is protected by the First Amendment. However, cyber speech protections can be limited in some cases. For example, students are subject to school computer usage policies when using school computers or school-issued tablets.

No

Question 26 of 30

Which category of speech is generally protected by the First Amendment?

Obscenity

Mocking political views

Mocking the political views of others is generally protected by the First Amendment, provided there is no true threat or incitement of lawless action. Obscenity and false advertising are not protected by the First Amendment.

False advertising

Question 27 of 30

Which is not a right specifically protected by the First Amendment?

Religion

Assembly

Privacy

Privacy is not a specific freedom protected by the First Amendment or the Constitution. In the 1965 case of Griswold v. Connecticut, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that the right to privacy has "emanated" from other Constitutional rights.

Question 28 of 30

How many freedoms does the First Amendment provide?

Five

The First Amendment provides five basic freedoms: speech, religion, press, assembly and petition.

Four

Three

Question 29 of 30

Burning the American flag as a political protest is protected by the First Amendment.

TRUE

In the 1989 case Texas v. Johnson, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that burning an American flag is protected under the First Amendment.

FALSE

Question 30 of 30

Where is the original Federal government copy of the Bill of Rights stored today?

The Library of Congress

The Smithsonian

The National Archives

The original federal copy of the Bill of Rights is on display in the Rotunda of the National Archives in Washington, D.C.